FUN AND GAMES: TURN A SUMMER TRIP TO PHILLY INTO A PLAYFUL ADVENTURE

Feel Like A Kid (Or Bring One Along) On Scavenger Hunts, Clue-Finding Expeditions And Role-Playing Activities

PHILADELPHIA, May 6, 2009 – Thanks in part to the popularity of TV shows like The Amazing Race and movies like National Treasure (filmed partially in Philadelphia) that send people around the world on the search for clues, prizes and hidden treasures, Philadelphia attractions are mapping out creative ways to help visitors get to know the region. Citywide scavenger hunts, card games that rely on knowledge of historic buildings and participatory re-enactments of Colonial playtime allow both kids and adults to learn more about the city while jumping right into the action. Here’s a look at some of the fun and games taking place in Philly this summer and beyond:

Adult Adventures:

·         City Chase Philadelphia – Teams that exhibit the most cooperation, resourcefulness, determination and ability to make decisions on the fly will emerge victorious at this one-day adventure that sends them running, walking and riding public transportation in order to navigate their way through the city in search of scattered challenges. To master the world’s largest urban-adventure race series, teams can also enlist the help of the Internet, friends, family and strangers. Winners go on to compete in national and possibly international competitions. May 16. $170 per team. citychaseusa.com

·         Ravenchase Adventures – Clues, treasure maps and prizes turn Philadelphia into a series of themed chases for adventurers who set off to win one of many annual scavenger hunts staged by this national company. Summer kicks off with The Great Summer Race, a multi-state trek running that pits competing teams against one another to see who can travel most efficiently from Richmond, Virginia to Philadelphia. June 26-28. $100 per player. Explorers seeking a more manageable competition may want to instead consider day- or night-long excursions, complete with after-parties, like Revenge of the Raven (August 22, $20 per player), The Undead Invasion – Halloween (October 31, $35 per player) or The Quest for Father Time – A Special New Year’s Eve Race (December 31, $125 per player). (888) 702-9039, ravenchase.com

Games For The Young (Or Young At Heart):

·         Once Upon A Nation – As they do every summer, programmers at Once Upon A Nation are plotting interactive games that encourage kids and their families to find fun in learning Philadelphia’s storied history. Colonial Kids Quest asks children to help a character named Phineas Bell and his dog, Freedom, find the missing Declaration of Independence lost at one of many historic sites along their route. $16. In honor of Abraham Lincoln’s 200^th birthday, Stories from the Underground Railroad gives children a password to visit all 13 stops along the Underground Railroad, which are really storytelling benches where storytellers recount the stories of slaves’ road to freedom. Free. And on Harmony Lane, facilitators costumed in period-era garb play Colonial games like Quoits, Graces and Jacob’s Ladders with children of all ages. May 23-September 7. Free. Various locations throughout Historic Philadelphia. During Valley Forge Secrets & Spies children and adults use 18^th-century spy techniques like invisible ink and counterespionage to help General George Washington and his American spy network foil a plot to kidnap the general from his winter 1777 encampment at Valley Forge National Historical Park. Saturdays, June 13-September 5. $16. 1400 N. Outer Line Drive, King of Prussia, (215) 629-4026, historicphiladelphia.org

·         Hidden City – Visitors take home a playful memory of a visit to Philadelphia with the Hidden City Philadelphia card game that requires players to meet residents and visit landmarks in order to maintain and appropriately develop certain neighborhoods that contain historical gems. The game is designed in conjunction with a multi-media arts festival that brings attention to historical landmarks that are less well known than others. May 30-June 28. $7.99. (267) 597-3808, hiddencityphila.org

·         ABC Games – For the ninth year in a row, Please Touch Museum^® will host almost a month of physically active games designed to encourage sportsmanship and fitness in children. Through activities like a nature-inspired obstacle course, kids and their parents learn to develop healthy alternatives to sedentary lifestyles. June 5-28. Free with admission of $15. Memorial Hall, 4231 Avenue of the Republic, (215) 581-3181, pleasetouchmuseum.org

·         Tree Adventure – At the Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania, a new exhibition called Tree Adventure explores the relationship between plants and people via a Passport to Adventure that sends visitors on a fact-finding mission through the 92-acre garden. Opens July 4. Free with admission of $7-$14. 100 E. Northwestern Avenue, (215) 247-5777, morrisarboretum.org

·         Gill’s Clubhouse and Touch-A-Shark Shark Scale – By piling onto a scale, pushing on pressure sensors and sniffing various odors, visitors to the Adventure Aquarium can get a better sense of what it’s like to be a shark, as educational game stations help them compare their weight, strength and sense of smell to that of these great sea creatures. $15.95-$19.95. One Riverside Drive, Camden, NJ, (856) 365-3300, adventureaquarium.com

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) makes Philadelphia and The Countryside® a premier destination through marketing and image building that increases business and promotes the region’s vitality.
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